 |
| Fourteen tribal
leaders trying to help Pakistani forces organise the surrender of
Al-Qaeda-linked militants in a remote region near the Afghan border have
been killed. [Reuters] |
Another six people
were injured in the incident, Major General Shaukat Sultan told AFP on
Wednesday, laying the blame for the deaths on a militant rocket attack.
"The casualties were caused by miscreants," Shaukat said, adding that
militants had fired another 42 rockets into the area overnight.
However another tribal elder who said he was present during the tragedy,
Azizullah Mahsud, claimed the military was responsible, and local press reports
raised the prospect of a "friendly fire" mistake.
The incident occurred Tuesday in the tribal town of Sheikh Ziarat near
Spinkai Raghzai in the troubled South Waziristan region where Pakistani troops
are engaged in a hunt for Al-Qaeda-militants and their local sympathisers.
Pakistani troops stepped up their offensive after another leader of the
Mahsud tribe, Abdullah Mahsud, masterminded the kidnapping of two Chinese
engineers in the region on October 9.
One of the engineers was killed and another rescued safely when commandoes
launched a raid on the kidnappers, in which all five hostage takers also died.
Abdullah Mahsud, a one-legged militant who spent time under US detention at
Guantanamo Bay, was orchestrating events from another location when the commando
raid took place and has since avoided the military dragnet.
In a separate incident related to the same military offensive, Shaukat said
security forces shot dead three suspected militants after engaging them in a
close-combat encounter on Wednesday.
The clash erupted when troops flagged a passenger van during a search
operation in Azam Warsak area of South Waziristan region, Shaukat said.
Five people got out of the van but a sixth opened fire and they all tried to
flee the cordon, according to Shaukat.
"Security forces responded immediately killing three miscreants. Three others
were injured and they are with the security forces," he said.
Military officials have said around 250 militants, including 100 foreigners,
and more than 170 soldiers have been killed in the tribal region offensive since
March.
